


All the Ways I'll Keep You Warm

by entwinedloop



Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: Angst, Autumn, Canon Divergent, F/M, Halloween, Love/Hate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:34:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27064957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/entwinedloop/pseuds/entwinedloop
Summary: Canon divergent post 2.11 if enough time passed. Autumn/Halloween themed fic, Beth and Rio doing business and having their standard non conversations conversations, extended version.
Relationships: Beth Boland/Rio
Comments: 13
Kudos: 127





	All the Ways I'll Keep You Warm

It hadn’t rained all day but the earth was still wet. The air smelled like red, orange, and yellow leaves. Beth’s eyes were transfixed on the swaying branches of the tall tree across from her. Steam escaped the hot coffee she held in her hands and the hot liquid warmed her as the breeze picked up. She could’ve waited inside but it’d be easier if she’d be sitting in her back yard, the kids distracted by Annie inside the toasty house.

“Yo,” Rio appeared in front of her and Beth blinked. She’d missed him walking up.

He took in the life size skeleton beside her, only donned with a baseball cap, Kenny’s contribution.

Beth set the mug on the bench and uncrossed her legs.

“Friend of yours?” He asked.

“Funny.” She slapped her thighs before getting up.

“Only person I know who’d put up decorations in her back yard that no one can see.” Rio shook his head once before glancing at the rest of the lights and cobwebs on the back of the house and the pumpkins (each of her kids wanted to carve one out, of course) drawing half a circle in the back yard. Even the tree house was decked out.

Beth was actually particularly proud of a few of her Halloween decorations, including the pumpkin that sat between her and the skeleton, with a rectangle and squares cut for a door and windows and a mini pumpkin peeking out.

“I have kids,” she followed his gaze of the back yard. “It’s for them.”

And then, of course she’d do it regardless. It was Halloween. Her living room and dining room had turned into a haunted house. Of course he wouldn’t appreciate that.

She wasn’t sure how he managed to invite himself along, but of course he did. Turner’s eyes were momentarily set on another case, Beth knew from watching the nine o’clock news, and because he’d backed down the last month, giving her more room to try and make money. It was only a matter of time until he’d be back, but she was going to use the time to her benefit. What choice did she have? Bills piled up with no consideration to what else was going on.

As the heat backed off a little she, the girls, and Rio kept working together, as shaky as the alliance was. Whatever false closeness that had come the last few months was shattered soon after that afternoon in her bedroom but it was after all, not real. She just didn’t quite expect that her and Rio wouldn’t recover from it that badly. Or she hadn’t really thought – she’d thought she’d be able to cut ties and that was it. And then came the deliveries… And before she knew it, she was drawn back in.

But how Rio got invited to a meeting with a city council member that she had set up – as discretely as possible – the only way she understood it was that it was him.

“I ain’t going in there,” he said as they both stood in front of the two story house. It was a fair statement. At first glance it didn’t appear too dilapidated but a closer look revealed a broken window and paint that was chipping off. The street was peppered with boarded up houses. It’d be eerie enough on a regular day but with it being a week from Halloween, it gave it a spookier vibe, the kind that made you think that if you glanced away just for a second you could swear you saw a shadow passing inside the living room.

“Come on,” Beth shook her head and started walking up the stairs, hearing Rio’s footsteps join her after a pause.

“Door is open,” she looked behind her as she left the door ajar for him, remembering an echo of words not too long ago.

Inside the house was cleaner than expected. Beth led the way to the living room, finding Jia and Sean, Jia’s associate, sitting at a table with two free chairs.

“This is your business associate?” Jia asked after introductions were made and everyone was seated.

Beth managed to nod as well as shake her head.

“You’re the supplier?” Jia asked.

“Something like that,” Rio said.

It was a connection that Beth had fostered, through meets and greets and parent PTAs. A council member who was looking to help her community and get a little side money for herself? Beth could appreciate another businesswoman.

Negotiations went quickly, and after a few countering and back and forth a deal was made even swifter than Beth anticipated. Rio followed her lead, and she expected it was more to see how she’d do. She’d done her research, carefully surveying numbers from her side business through Boland Motors. Being prepared meant less surprises and usually she didn’t get to be prepared at all.

“You have to stop telling people you’re my business partner,” Beth said as she and Rio got back in his car.

“What do you want to call this then?” Rio asked her and Beth steadied her eyes on him.

Any term she could come up with just couldn’t fit. Business fiend? Sounded something one of the cartoon characters that Danny and Jane would say. Exhausting tag-a-long she had a momentary moment of weakness with, so so long ago? Who she couldn’t quite shake off.

“Let’s just not label it,” she said, annoyed, hearing him chuckle.

She was mentally rearranging her to do list as they drove and pulled out her phone to add a few reminders. Annie had texted her a few photos of her and the kids dressing up and making funny faces. Beth smiled. She sometimes loved her kids had a playful aunt like her sister.

As the streets started filling with stores and coffee shops, she knew they were starting to get closer to her house. Rio slowed the car on a corner.

“Be right back,” he said, stepping out. Beth’s eyes followed him as he stepped into a coffee shop. For a moment she wondered what he was doing and her eyes glanced up to the store’s sign, wondering if that was a spot he owned.

His smell. It was all around her, clean and sharp and she inhaled it as she went back to her phone, typing up a quick response to Annie before checking in on Ruby. Hopefully he wouldn’t take long. Emma and Danny volunteered to help with the costumes this year which had won Beth over. Putting together costumes was always a lot of fun but it was nice to make it into a family project.

“I have to say,” Jia had said before turning around and leaving the living room. She’d surveyed Rio’s jacket, black pants and black button shirt, Beth’s long, dark blue conservative dress. “You make an odd couple at first but you make it work.”

Beth had avoided Rio’s eyes, nodding at Jia before heading to the front door.

The driver’s door opened and Rio slipped in with two to-go cups, passing one to Beth before putting his down and closing the car door behind him.

“What’s that?” Beth lowered her eyes to the cup and back to him.

“It’s for you.”

Beth held it stiffly, like it was a foreign item, like she’d never held a cup before. She brought her nose to the opening, breathing in the familiar sweet scent.

“You got me hot cider?” Her eyes widened as Rio picked up his cup.

“Yeah,” Rio said, as casually as if he’d done it for her every day, blowing on his cup and sipping on it.

It was one of her go-to favorite fall drinks.

“I didn’t poison it,” he said dryly when Beth still glared at him motionless, cup in hand. “If that’s what you’re thinking. Didn’t have enough time,” he added, sipping on his drink.

Beth blew on the opening and brought it to her lips. She was so distracted she forgot to blow on it, and the apple flavor liquid burned her tongue. Her eyes closed as she swallowed the pinch of heat, relishing the flavor of cinnamon.

She sat back in her seat, glanced to her side at him.

“What?” He asked, pulling the car into reverse.

It was an innocent enough gesture from anyone else, but strange enough from him getting her a drink like they were some kind of drinking buddies.

“Thank you,” she said finally, placed the cup in the cup holder and searched through her bag. Finding what she was looking for she pulled out a flask and unscrewed the lid.

“What?” It was her turn to ask as Rio watched her.

“That in place of your water bottle?”

“No it’s – it’s a long story,” she shook her head. Which actually involved him – if only tenuously, as well as a stakeout but she really didn’t want to get it into it now. Pleasantly surprised this drink included a cinnamon stick – she didn’t say may that did – she added a swig of whiskey to her cup. She picked up the lid before pausing and motioning at Rio, who shook his head. Replacing it she lifted the cup to her mouth, this time stopping to blow on the drink, before sniffing the air.

She hid a smile as she glanced at Rio’s cup. “Is that pumpkin spice?”

“Nah,” he said incredulously, shaking his head a bit too quickly.

“It is, isn’t it?” She asked, knowing if she’d start laughing he’d never confess to it.

“You good?” Rio looked in the rear view mirror, then side mirror, and pressed the gas pedal.

“Yeah,” Beth said, now certain she was right and leaned her head back, watching passerbys in down coats and scarves pass the car. The coffee shop Rio had walked in was decorated with pumpkins and turkey stickers, and someone had drawn an elaborate Ash tree. She’d have to step in there herself another day.

It wasn’t a complete disaster as far as it went with him either today, she loathed to admit, as she listened to the radio. That’s probably what this drink was about too. A successful business meeting – no need for dead bodies or body parts in the mail. Sure, they argued from the moment he invited himself to her meeting. Bartered for his cut, though he had nothing to do with any of it, even if he did provide the capital, she mimicked him later to Ruby and Annie. They even argued over who would drive. In the end she’d given in, tallying it. Until the next battle.

“You got to get home?” Rio asked her as they neared her street.

No texts from Dean. She’d been with the kids the last few days, Dean having to take care of some errands, of business. It was hard for him not to be at Boland Motors.

“In a minute,” she non answered. She wanted to be with her kids, but she wasn’t looking forward to seeing Dean. They’d argued again and she was just tired. Tired of trying to make things work, not even sure what it meant half the time.

Her eyes surveyed the street as Rio parked the car a second time.

“Where are we?” She asked, because it wasn’t home. It wasn’t where he lived either. Did he have business here and he was just going to have her call a cab? They weren’t even that far from her house.

He didn’t say anything and just got out the car with his cup in his hand. Beth lifted her eyes up and scoffed before she followed him, grabbing her hot cider with her in the last second.

Rio stood by the car until she stepped beside him, fixing the strap on her bag, then started walking.

What was he up to? Beth thought. No one was around apart from a few pedestrians and she expected Rio to make a turn to one of the houses but he didn’t.

“Got some more of that?” He asked.

Beth searched through her bag, and glanced around her before uncapping the bottle.

“Check that out,” Rio said motioning towards a front yard filled with large inflatable dolls.

“Is that the Addams Family?” Beth asked, picking out a few familiar faces.

“Yeah.”

Rio uncovered the lid and Beth started pouring the whiskey.

“That’s good,” Rio said and Beth put the flask away.

Her kids would enjoy this, she thought at every other knickknack, imagining what the lights and how spooky it would all look at night. Kenny was saying he was getting too old but he liked the holiday enough.

“Better?” Beth asked as they both sipped on their drinks.

Rio swallowed and nodded.

It wasn’t so busy but occasionally a few people walked passed them, her and Rio more focused on the halloween displays.

Stealing a peek at him as they headed to who knows where, she wondered if he got less glances on Halloween. Did that ever bother him? The way he carried himself made it clear he wasn’t but-- she expected when his son and him were going house to house on Halloween that he probably got compliments he was dressing up along with his son. The few moments she’d seen him with his young boy she could see the bond between them and how close they were. Her heart panged. Stop it, she told herself.

"Check this out,” Rio said, pointing out a porch laid out with squashes of different shapes and sizes. Witches hung from the ceiling, swinging on brooms, and gravestones lined the grass.

Beth surveyed the layout, admiring how the squashes were laid out, when she sensed Rio stop.

“What?” She asked him and Rio stood, a smile hinting at his lips.

Beth glanced up before continuing, when a sharp hiss, followed by an uproarious laugh erupted from the porch. It wasn’t particularly loud, but not expecting it Beth jumped.

Rio threw his head back laughing as Beth calculated how she’d get him back, shaking her head at him in feigned disappointment.

“You’re ridiculous,” She said, marching off.

“Oh, come on, don’t be like that,” he said, still laughing, catching up to her.

He was one to talk. “The way you were spooked when we were standing outside that building?” Beth glanced at him before the next house was revealed behind a line of trees, and she sipped her cup as she watched a family of skeletons seated on a picnic blanket with a basket along with a skeleton dog.

“I thought you were braver than that,” she teased.

“That’s just cause of Halloween,” he dismissed her words with his arm. Halloween or not, she’d surely catch him easily enough.

He’d turned into a path on a park, leaves crushing under their feet as they walked into the green space, lined with oak and beech trees along the black stoned pathway. Rio cut off the path into the grass and Beth followed, listening to the leaves brush against each other above them. A couple of squirrels chased each other down one tree, across the grass and up another, and she thought of Buddy who’d be stretching his leash at this exact moment.

The afternoon was beautiful. The trees were bathed in autumn colors and each time the wind blew more dusted to the ground. Beth took another sip, the whiskey warming her throat. It was a good thing for the sun since it was at the cusp of almost too chilly, and once it’d set she knew it was going to get too cold for her jacket if she stood still.

Rio wasn’t talking and neither was she, and she realized it had been that way for some time since they’d started walking. But it didn’t feel uncomfortable. A little strange, because it was something that they never did. But she didn’t even really think about how she wasn’t sure what to say to him, what they were about now. They were just taking a walk and admiring the holiday decorations.

“So what is this?” She finally asked as they continued walking.

“What?”

Beth put out her hand with the cup, and threw her other arm out. “Are we here for another business meeting?” The word ‘we’ slipped and danced on her tongue, and it bothered her how she didn’t hate it.

“It’s all business,” Rio answered, giving her no answer at all. “What’do you think about the lake?”

The lake? Beth turned. It must’ve been man made, and it was small, really. But this green spot was nice. It was much smaller than the park she took her kids to, but it was a pretty green spot.

“It’s not much of a lake,” she said. “But it’s nice. It’s a lovely park.”

It was a nice neighborhood too, Beth thought as Rio hmmmed at her.

“Do you know someone here?” Beth asked. It wasn’t where his – ex wife? – lived. She would’ve remembered that.

Rio shook his head. “Not really.”

He had to know someone though, because he’d anticipated that scare effect earlier. Unless he just went on walks and – it was just so mundane, so normal, it was hard to imagine him doing that. It was hard enough coming to terms he was actually a dad.

Birds chirped loudly at a nearby tree, and Beth watched the ducks swim some feet away from them, maybe hoping they’d get a snack from their visitors.

“I’m making an investment,” Rio said.

“On tiny lakes?” She asked him, deciding to make light of it to hide how much she wanted to know what he was talking about.

Rio broke into a smile and he hung his head for a moment before raised his chin. “No, neighborhoods.”

Whatever that meant. She resisted asking questions. He’d do that sometimes, slip in a sliver of information and then avoid asking any all questions. Her thoughts went to her kids, what they’d do for Halloween. Her next business meeting, that she wanted to even avoid thinking about where he was near him, since he was almost able to read her thoughts. She sipped on her hot cider when she remembered.

Annie had been tapping her foot impatiently. “It’s three fifteen, come on.”

“What’s she going on about?” Rio had asked Beth, motioning with his head to her sister. They were all at the park, but Ruby was running late.

Annie glanced at her phone again.

“It’s this bakery,” Beth had watched Jane approach Marcus and apprehension and a touch of warmth filled her stomach, “They make these cinnamon rolls every day at 3 PM--”

“Not just cinnamon rolls –“ Annie waved her hand. “They’re the best in Michigan. Don’t ask me how I know. Don’t look at me like that,” she said to Beth. “You can’t get enough of their apple cider. Every fall, it’s all she drinks,” her eyes searched Ruby in the crowd. “It has to have a cinnamon stick,” she shook her head and sat back on the bench. “Gotta be a genetic thing.”

He’d remembered that? She glanced at him as she swallowed the now cool drink. He couldn’t have.

"Happy Halloween,” she said to him, tilting her cup.

"Happy Halloween,” he smiled at her, taking her back to the loft, when he’d grinned brightly at her as she threw question after question at him. That whole exchange he’d seemed nearly giddy – until he’d stepped right up to her. Got serious before he kicked her out.

Her face broke into a smile too, and for a moment the tension ebbed. She could put her sword down, and he could put aside his gun, and they could lean a little towards each other and she could squeeze her cup to stop herself from reaching out to him, and their lips could meet.

The kiss was a balm, a chaste caresse, and Rio pulled back, blinking. He hadn’t meant to do it. Something clicked and she stepped towards him and without thought zeroed in again, wanting that light to flicker in her chest again. To give in without admitting she was.

And it wasn’t too long at that point. Too long before her hands were free and on his shoulders, her fingers tense, still fighting from pulling him to her, and he was breathing fast into her mouth, and now the tension coiled into something new and bright and dark. She exhaled, licking his upper lip, and he let her, hissing as she bit him. His hands traveled to her neck, to her back, lower.

The leaves twirled around them and the kiss deepened. Rio brought his lips lower on her to her cheek, jaw, and lower, sucking at her skin. Beth’s eyes opened and she hadn’t noticed she’d closed them. He’d given in too, panting in her ear, and she closed her eyes again as she listened to him. He’d pulled at her jacket, her sweater, warming her collar bone with his hot mouth. Her opened eyes revealed two people standing from the path, staring at both of them and she felt a rush, immediately followed by an impulse to push him away from her.

“Christopher,” she muttered, scolding him, hearing him suck a laugh at his name. It was his name right? She’d call him by that until she’d find out otherwise. “People are watching us.”

He licked at her collarbone, nipping at her skin, and she pulled him against her as his lips traveled higher. She could push him away, she was sure, he wouldn’t fight her, but instead a small moan escaped her lips, at what he was making her feel, in that he wasn’t bother by an audience.

He kept at her neck, not allowing her to pull him up, and she took in a sharp breathe wanting to push him away, because she needed him, needed him closer, but his lips just met hers and she got sucked up into it again.

As she tasted him, basking in the familiar, hurting in how it was comforting her and setting her alight, every part of her screamed for more, closer, nearer. The couple had walked away, she saw in tiny bursts of opening her eyes, but a commotion was forming now, she could hear through muffled sounds. She broke from Rio, who whined at her, and it made her want to push him against the closest tree, and her hands were still on his shoulders as she watched a group of people further away from them and it was sure if they were breaking a fight or starting one, but she brought her lips closer to Rio, watching him close his eyes before she put her fingers on his neck and put her mouth against his jaw, hearing him intake a breathe in surprise, and swallow as she mimicked what he was doing to her, before finding her own rhythm, her own dance.

Wasn’t that what they’d done? After studying each other, at a distance or closer, and closer. In such a short time she seemed to understand what he needed, what made him groan for her, and he knew exactly how to tease pleasure out of her, how to have it burst out.

But she missed his lips so she returned home, and it became insistent and desperate because it had to end didn’t it? That was if she could stay rationale.

One of them would draw away, and the other would chase back, continuing the kiss, the person who’d backed away easily giving in. The noise built around them and Beth heard it and ignored it, moaning back in response to him, wishing it wasn’t like picking right off, like they hadn’t last kissed months ago.

Something dropped to the ground by their feet and Beth pulled back, her breathe sharp, and she stayed in place, Rio leaning down to touch his forehead against hers. They stood as their breathes slowed down, as she tried to retrace how she got her and what she was doing and – it was over. It was still over. If it was anything at all.

She stepped back, suddenly uncomfortable with touching him, not meeting his eyes, not liking that what meant something to her meant something else to him. There were others for him. She had no doubt. For her, not love, not just affection. If she could even believe that herself. She couldn’t. That door was closed.

“This has got to stop,” she said, unsure why she was saying it, when she met his eyes again. She’d expected him to be shut off, but eyes weren’t just blank. There was heat in them still, but he was watching his expression, and weren’t both of them watching themselves as well as each other each second they were together?

“You can’t keep me indebted to you,” she said again when he didn’t respond.

“Think you can do this on your own?” He asked her and she wanted to kick him for his arrogance.

“I’ve been doing it.” Been trying to, at the very least.

The right question was, do you think you’re ready to let me go? That you’d ever…? That day in his loft was still vivid in her memory, if though it had happened over a month ago. So much had happened since then and at the same time nothing.

“You got rid of a body?" Playfulness was erased from his tone. "Or lost my money?”

“That was a job that I paid for,” she said, referring to Boomer’s body. “A lot for. And it’s something I’m sure you did for yourself.”

And the lost money – it wasn’t even her, or all her, but well, it didn’t matter.

She started stepping away, ready to make her way back home.

“Your husband’s waiting on you?” He called after her.

“Yeah,” she said. That woman waiting for you too, right? The beautiful woman who he’d hugged, who’d Beth hadn’t forgotten but never brought up. There was no point, her and Rio were nothing. But she’d never forgotten. Maybe it was someone else. Maybe it was more.

She quickly retraced her steps and picked up their cups from the grass before heading off again, not particularly caring if he’d follow her or not. He did, taking the cups from her to throw them at a nearby trashcan. She turned right once they got back to the street, away from his car, and Rio kept pace with her as they kept going. It wasn't the turn she'd wanted to make but. It wasn’t time yet to go home. Not for her. Not yet. Annie was with the kids, probably thinking Beth was still at her business meeting. She’d helped her sister before, she assured herself. Soon enough she’d be home.

“Wow,” She said, motioning with her head at the house across the street. A gigantic inflatable spider hovered over the porch and to the roof. Jane would’ve loved it. Danny would’ve put on a brave face and screamed internally until they’d cut to the next corner.

The street grew quieter, decorations now sometimes hidden in the shadows. Orange and yellow lights decorated the houses in brighter colors now that the sun had set, with occasional purple, blue, and white LED patterns. The lights lit their path, bringing to life the displays they walked past.

The flickering LED lights warmed her under her long jacket, like she was sitting in front of a fireplace. Soon it’d be time to bring her heavier coat out, Since each time the wind picked up now she could feel it trying to force its way under her skin.

“You see that?” He asked her and she stopped, her eyes not quite making what she was seeing before a mannequin with dark long hair came into view, sitting motionlessly on a set of swings. What was it about stillness that could be more terrifying than motion?

Along with watching her kids trot down the street with their candy bags and laugh with their friends she enjoyed this too, watching how neighbors got their houses for the holiday, what similar cats and ghouls she’d see each year, and which houses tried to boast the biggest shows. She wasn’t going to be that flashy but she did think her house fared pretty well, if any judges were keeping score.

She still remembered the nights she’d walk with Annie door to door, Annie dressed up as a superhero or a dancer or Edward Scissorhands. She didn’t remember music being so much part of that, as some designs started playing a spooky tune as they walked by, Rio stepped a little closer to her when it happened.

Lights flicked above her. Rio’s eyes focused on his phone, Beth glanced down, swallowing a smile.

“Look.” She stopped.

“What?” Rio glanced from his phone to the dark windows. He shook his head when a vision of ghosts floated over the windows.

He put his phone away, exclaiming at the window. “That’s good,” he said, as eye balls appeared, rolling left and right.

A few of the streets they’d stepped into were especially dark, the street lamps having gone out. Beth actually liked that more, and she sensed Rio stepping closer to her, and she amused herself by wondering if he did it more for his benefit than hers.

One of the displays drew her to take a photo, of a human size blond girl doll with a stake in red jeans and a white shirt, in attack posture against a vampire with sharp teeth, dressed like a punk.

“You know this girl?”

“Annie used to watch this show every week,” Beth said. She’d thought Annie was a little young for it but her sister became a big fan.

They continued, keeping quiet for the most part, occasionally one of them pointing out a funny sign or commenting on a display. This wasn’t something they did, spend any more time together than they needed to, and she wasn’t getting over that it didn’t weird her out more than she expected. But she couldn’t pretend for much longer, not when it came to her safety.

She slowed her steps. “Turner’s not going to let this go. He’s going to come back after me.”

Rio glanced up. “His got bigger fish to fry, sweetheart.”

“Not forever.”

It was just a matter of time. But as Rio had been before when she’d brought it up, he shrugged his shoulders, and she could sense him withdrawing from her.

“This isn’t a joke,” she said.

“Boss bitches gotta clean up their own messes,” he said, picking up his steps.

“That’s it?” She asked. She’d dealt with messes before, she’d handled Boomer hadn’t she – well, somewhat. She’d got the money to have Rio sort it out.

“That’s it,” he said, seemingly pleased with himself that the conversation was over.

“This was fun,” she snapped, frustrated irritation charging at her chest, and at her words she tasted him again. She turned and walked away from him, not looking back, her shoes clicking under her.

“How you getting home, Elizabeth?” He asked, more annoyed than anything else, tilting his chin to the sky before following her as she walked away. Beth raised her phone. She’d get a cab. She wasn’t getting in a car with him.

Once she closed the door on the taxi she looked to her right, away from him. The day was going to dissolve soon, replaced with her dining room, her kids, with prints and sewing and buttons and ribbons. With dinner. He’d stayed back, watching her wait for her ride. Neither of them had said a word to each other as they glared at one another from each end of the pavement.

Who did he think he was? She was a stand up citizen – he was the criminal. Who drank pumpkin spice latte. He was no adversary. Not if her back was against the wall.

The person she was when his worker had held a gun to her head so many months ago was not who she was anymore. Still, even with what she’d done, what he was wasn’t the same, couldn’t ever be the same. She made some decisions because she had no choice, but she was a good person. She wanted to be. That wasn’t him.

Each time she was going to pull away he was going to tug her right back. She tried to quit and he didn’t let her. But she was his line to the pills, she was naive to think he’d let that business go. And then Ruby and Annie got themselves in more debt, and of course she’d be blamed for it by association. She wouldn’t let her sister and best friend have to pay back on their own, even though there was still no final price, no visible destination that once this payment was done, it was over. It’d take a lifetime to pay all that money she’d told him, and he’d snickered at her that that was point.

No way she’d stay under his thumb, and that’s why she was trying to get out, get her own partnerships, her own exit strategy. He’d just kept finding out how she was branching out. But he couldn’t keep his eyes on her 24/7. She had no illusions it was a business association of convenience. Look at how he refused to help her with Turner. It’s good until he’d let it all crash down on her, right? That wasn’t going to happen. If she was going to go down, she’d take him right down with her. But better than that, she’ll take him down first. If he was smart he’d know that.

And she doesn’t really want to think, doesn’t really want to put too (any) much weight or too much meaning to it, that despite the bitterness of how it ended, how she got no reassurance from him, no promise, that though tension and distrust laced each of their interactions since that day in his loft, and before that, that between the walk, and the kiss, and the cinnamon and pumpkin spice drinks – that if she was at all keeping stock, keeping track, it seemed like she was just coming home from a date.

**Author's Note:**

> Self induglent Halloween fic right in time for October.
> 
> Also followed these kiss prompts:  
> A small, fleeting kiss - which is immediately followed by a passionate, hungry kiss.  
> A kiss, followed by more that trail down the jaw and neck.  
> A gentle kiss that quickly descends into passion, with little regard for what’s going on around them.


End file.
